Mystery on Magnolia Circle

My daughter is getting into young mysteries and she absolutely loved this one. Kate Klise has become a new favorite author of hers.

Loved everything about this book. Highly recommend it.

5 starsThis was an absolutely delightful book about a girl who breaks her leg and has to spend her summer in a cast. She and her best friend live on a cul-de-sac with their dogs and she was looking forward to a summer hanging out and playing. But between her cast and his sick dog, she is not looking forward to summer. Her mom (a psychiatrist) and her doctor encourages her to discover a new hobby and she slowly becomes involved in solving a mystery in her neighborhood. Each chapter ends with a lesson that she has learned and helps solidify the chapter in the minds of readers. The illustrations are really cute and I just enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book for those who love mysteries, dogs, adventures, and middle school books. I would love to read another book by this author and can think of several of my students who would enjoy this as well.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There were several things I really liked about the book, and especially keeping in mind the age group it was written for. The friendship of Ivy and Teddy, and the loss of Lotty are things that kids will be able to relate to. I also liked the "lesson" at the end of each chapter. It is an important thing to learn that things don't always turn out as or when you want them to.Things I did not care for, and again, especially for the kids reading this book, was firstly, Ivy's attitude. Obviously breaking one's leg at the beginning of summer would be extremely disappointing, but weeks after the accident, Ivy was still being a total brat to everyone trying to help her. I disliked her constantly saying that her mother was annoying. I disliked how her parents coddled her attitude instead of having a come to Jesus meeting with her. I found it completely false that any homeless shelter would allow a 10 year old boy to stay there alone, it just would not happen, and also that his temporary foster home, where he was protected and fed and clean, would indeed only be temporary, as he would be with his druggie mother as soon as she was out of rehab, where they would just live happily ever after, and with a new puppy as well. Authors need to be very careful of the messages they send young readers and setting up that dreamland scenario is harmful to kids who are going through those very things. I also thought it odd that while Ivy and Teddy were running all over the place, alone, at night, without the knowledge of their parents, and lying about it, the first Uber driver said she wasn't supposed to pick up unaccompanied minors but the next three had zero problem with it, even dropping them off alone on a dark street. I didn't know why the girl who got Lotty had to be so horrible, and I would have had huge issues with that vet.

Well! I'd say this fun double-mystery with good helpings of heart is just right for middle grade readers graduating from chapter books.Granted, even with Ivy's dry humor, I didn't warm up to her right away. What she calls being grumpy I call being sarcastic and rude to people who are trying to help her. But when she isn't having an attitude, she's actually a caring girl, and she learns some great stuff over the summer.This story addresses serious issues like grief, mental illness, drugs, rehabilitation, and homelessness in a way that's real but not too complicated or heavy. The young friendships are touching, and the read has its most shining and surprising moments as events come to a head in the last phases.Definitely an adventure worth checking out.

A solid mystery for chapter book readers transitioning to MG novels. The two main characters are going into 5th grade and like most kids of that age seem to fluctuate between acting younger than their age and moments of maturity. I was a bit disappointed that although Ivy and Teddy are directly responsible for solving a rash of robberies, the action of capturing the criminals and helping their friend takes place off-stage and is only described briefly after the fact. The second mystery, about Teddy's dog Lotty, is settled much more satisfactorily. While not an essential purchase for a library, this is still a good choice for young mystery fans.

This was a quick, pleasant read. It took some unexpected turns, but I think it pulled off the story it was trying to tell. I enjoyed the whimsical but deadpan tone and the lovely illustrations.

Ivy Crowden is stuck in her house in a full leg cast. What a way to start your summer........with a broken leg! She's pretty sure her summer is ruined. But when Ivy witnesses a burglary from her window, she teams up with her neighbor and BFF, Teddy, to try and solve the case. Ivy's summer takes a turn from monotonous to mysterious, as more than one mystery falls in to her lap.<Fans of Nancy Drew Clue Crew and A to Z Mysteries will enjoy this fast paced story.>Winner of the 2023 Sequoyah Book Award (Oklahoma)